Demand Answers
Instant
As an additional cost to cast this spell, sacrifice an artifact or discard a card.
Draw two cards.
- CMC
- 2
- Mana cost
- Color identity
- R
- Rarity
- common
- Set
- Murders at Karlov Manor
- Price
- $0.41
- EDHREC rank
- #415
Demand Answers draws two cards for two mana — the discard-a-card rider is the cost, not a dealbreaker, especially in decks that want cards in the graveyard or are holding a hand full of gas. Ral, Monsoon Mage turns every instant into a damage trigger, so casting this on your opponent's end step does double duty: refuel and deal damage simultaneously.
Best Commanders
Commanders with the highest synergy
Ral, Monsoon Mage
Ral, Monsoon Mage pings for damage every time an instant or sorcery is cast, so Demand Answers isn't just card draw — it's a damage source stapled to a refuel, and at two mana you can fire it off on the opponent's end step to maximize both halves.
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad cares about spell quantity for its experience counters and assassination triggers, and Demand Answers slots in as cheap, efficient fuel — cast it, count the spell, pitch whatever you've already played around.
Magar of the Magic Strings
Magar of the Magic Strings imprints instants and sorceries onto creatures, so Demand Answers going to the graveyard after casting is a feature: Magar can copy it for free later, turning a two-mana draw spell into a repeatable engine piece.
Captain Howler, Sea Scourge
Captain Howler, Sea Scourge rewards casting spells quickly and aggressively, and Demand Answers at two mana fits cleanly into a low-curve, tempo-oriented game plan where running out of cards is the primary failure mode.
Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar
Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar needs to discard cards to cast its signature spells, and Demand Answers is one of the cleanest ways to discard a card you want in the graveyard while replacing itself and keeping the hand size healthy.
Format Analysis
Where it lives, where it can’t
| Format | Verdict |
|---|---|
| commander | legal |
| legacy | legal |
| modern | legal |
| pioneer | legal |
| standard | legal |
| vintage | legal |
| pauper | legal |
| oathbreaker | legal |
In Commander, Demand Answers is a solid role-player rather than a staple — it earns its slot in decks that either want cards in the graveyard or chain spells for incremental value, but generic draw spells with no downside like Arcane Epiphany or Big Score compete at the same price point. In Pauper, two-mana draw-two is genuinely powerful at common, and the discard is manageable enough that it sees real play in red-based spell-heavy shells. Modern and Pioneer have enough redundancy at the two-mana cantrip slot that Demand Answers rarely makes the cut outside of focused builds, but it is never embarrassing to cast. Legacy and Vintage simply have better options at every point on the curve. Standard is where the card is cleanest — it's legal, cheap, and fills the red card-draw role without demanding anything exotic from the mana base.
Key Combos
Combo lines featuring this card
Price Context
Current price
$0.41 bulk tier
At $0.41, Demand Answers is firmly bulk — you're paying for cardboard, not scarcity. It's a safe pick-up for any red deck that needs draw, and there's no meaningful price risk in either direction for a common at this level.
Explore
Sources
Mentioned
- Ral, Monsoon Mage
- Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
- Magar of the Magic Strings
- Captain Howler, Sea Scourge
- Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar
Updated . Data from Scryfall, EDHREC, and Commander Spellbook.